Wanderer's Heart
by Sidneysboy
Summary: Cliff is ready to leave town, but he feals he must tell Jack.


Cliff walked down the road to Jack's farm. He wished he wasn't doing this, but  
  
he really had no choice. 'Well,' he thought 'I do have one, but I just can't  
  
impose on them any more,' for a moment his thought had shifted to Ann and her  
  
father.  
  
'Ann is a great girl, and her father is an awesome man… so why don't I see  
  
myself with her…what's wrong with me?' These thought rolled through Cliff's  
  
head. He really cared about Ann, when he was working in the Winery she brought  
  
him lunch, and she went to church with him sometimes, and he loved her  
  
friendship. Her Father, Doug, was great too, when Cliff couldn't afford the rent  
  
he would shrug it off, and offer him to work it off in his free time, but he  
  
never asked him to lift a finger.  
  
Cliff was so lost in thought that he almost walked past Jack's house. He walked  
  
up to the door of this now moderate house (Since Jack had inherited this place  
  
from it's previous owner he had expanded it greatly) for a moment Cliff thoughts  
  
had shifted to the previous owner, not that he had been around to know him, but  
  
the townsfolk all spoke so kindly about him.  
  
Cliff was still lost in thought when Jack came to the door, walked out, and  
  
bumped right into him. "Owww… oh Jack I was gonna knock, but then I… whatever  
  
look Jack I need to tell you something, and it's not going to be easy, since  
  
you've been such a good friend." Cliff said, and he had been, in fact he was the  
  
best, Jack had always been their for him. When Cliff had been broke, before and  
  
was ready to leave town, Jack had found him a job, over at the Aja winery, and  
  
when he had gotten sick and passed out that cold winters day who had brought him  
  
to the clinic but Jack, or so Elli had told him later.  
  
"Cliff are you ok?" Jack asked general concern in his voice.  
  
"Well I am, but I well….. I'm leaving Jack, I'm leaving mineral town forever"  
  
he said finally letting it out. He hadn't wanted to tell anyone. He had plAnnd  
  
to just leave during the night, but Jack had been such a great friend, if anyone  
  
deserved to know he did.  
  
"What… why" Jack asked still concerned about his friend.  
  
"Well… I have been sponging off my friends for to long, I don't make enough to  
  
stay at the inn, and I just can't accept Doug's charity any more." Cliff said,  
  
gaining the confidence to speak openly about this, that was another thing that  
  
he loved about Jack, you always felt like you could say anything, well at least  
  
he did.  
  
"Cliff, you can't just leave, where will you go?" Jack asked  
  
"I don't know, maybe I'll stop over in Forget-me-not Valley, I have a friend  
  
who I met when I was traveling who is living there now. Then maybe I'll go back  
  
to Flowerbud" He replied, looking at his feet.  
  
"But Cliff, everyone in town likes you, and you have the job at the winery."  
  
Jack said. "And Carter says you always help him at the church. Maybe he could  
  
let you move in there." Jack said offering another option.  
  
"No, I couldn't do that, Carter has no money it would just be taking more from  
  
my friends." Cliff replied.  
  
Jack's normally happy face had been twisted into a frown. For a moment Cliff  
  
thought on how strange that frown looked on Jack's face, almost as unnatural as  
  
snow in summer. Just then, as quickly as that frown had appeared it was gone.  
  
"I have an idea, and I won't take no for an answer" Jack said, and Cliff  
  
realized that this smile was more than even Jacks usual smile; this smile was  
  
hiding something bigger.  
  
"What is it?" Cliff asked a little suspicious of Jack's newfound happiness.  
  
Jack looked over at his house, and then back at Cliff.  
  
For a moment Cliff had no idea what Jack had meant, but Jack only repeated the  
  
gesture. "What?" Cliff asked dense as a post-like.  
  
"Here!" Jack exclaimed. "You can stay here!"  
  
"But… I told you, I don't want to take any charity." Cliff sighed  
  
"No charity, you can work for it, every morning you get up and help me water  
  
the crops, then when I go take care of the cows, you can go crate the eggs and  
  
feed the chickens." Jack said still sporting an ear to ear grin.  
  
Cliff face softened at the offer, and the grin appeared on his face as well.  
  
"I have a big bed, so you can sleep in my old one, I mean since my house is  
  
only one room you will have to sleep in the same room as me" Jack said, but  
  
Cliff didn't mind, he was used to sharing a room with Grey, and in the summers  
  
Kai as well.  
  
"That would be great, Jack you're the best friend I have ever had. Cliff said  
  
this from the heart; he meant it more than he had ever meant anything in his  
  
life.  
  
A few months later   
  
Jack woke up later than he usually would have, but he had been working so hard  
  
in the mines yesterday, he needed to upgrade his axe if he ever plAnnd to get  
  
enough wood to upgrade his barn. It was already ten o'clock and he wondered why  
  
Cliff hadn't woken him up. He walked over to the TV and turned it on, flipping  
  
to the weather he saw a sunny summer day ahead. He picked up little Russel, his  
  
dog, and walked outside with him.  
  
As soon as he got outside he let Russel down and got out his watering can. He  
  
prepared for what would probably be an hour of watering and walked over, past  
  
the shipping box and to the tomato plants. He was about to water them when he  
  
saw that the spot was already watered. 'Well duh, Cliff did his half' he though  
  
as he walked over to what had been designated his spot only to find that had  
  
been watered too. 'He is a great guy' Jack thought as he headed into the barn.  
  
That thought was amplified when he walked into the barn. All the cows looked  
  
happy as could be, and each and every stall was full with fresh fodder,  
  
obviously cut from his fields this morning, that was the first time that he  
  
noticed a note in his rucksack.  
  
He unfolded the note, and read it aloud. "Hey Jack, I know how hard you have  
  
been working lately to upgrade the barn, and so I thought I'd let you sleep in.  
  
I finished all the chores around the farm, and I also did a little wood  
  
chopping. I know you still need a lot, but I figured every little bit helps.  
  
P.S. I wasn't sure what you wanted to do with the milk so it's in the  
  
refrigerator." Jack looked down at the note, his eyes glowing, Cliff had done  
  
all this for him, and he had to do something to reciprocate.  
  
"I've got it!" Jack exclaimed. He had just finished getting the kitchen set  
  
together, and he had a fully stocked fridge. He would cook Cliff a feast  
  
tonight; however he was a little lacking in recipes. So he would have to fudge a  
  
few things.  
  
An hour later Jack had nothing to show for himself except a rucksack full of  
  
burnt junk. He looked at the food, sure Cliff would pretend to love it, but  
  
knowing it would be horrible. He wondered what he could do, but he had no idea,  
  
"maybe the townspeople might know some recipes." He said, so he loaded himself  
  
up with everyone's favorite stuff and ran into town.  
  
First he walked to the inn, he knew Doug was one of the best cooks in the  
  
village.  
  
"Well if it isn't Jack, one my best customers." Doug said as Jack walked in.  
  
"What can I do yah for."  
  
"Well first, I wanted to give you this," Jack said as he handed Doug an egg.  
  
"Well thanks, what do you want?" Doug asked.  
  
"Well you see, I just got my kitchen, and" Jack was interrupted by Doug.  
  
"Hup-up-up, say no more" Doug said.  
  
"You mean you'll help me?" Jack asked hopefully.  
  
"No, I mean don't bother asking, I never give out recipes, it keeps the people  
  
coming back, but that Kai kid is in town for the summer, he might be able to  
  
help you." Doug said, and Jack walked out of the inn. He walked down the street  
  
at to the beach, the hot summer sun baked Jack as his shoes filled with sand.  
  
"Hey Jack, how you doing?" Kai said as he saw him walk up.  
  
Jack brought an egg out of his rucksack, and held it high over his head, only to  
  
hand it over to Kai.  
  
"Wow thanks, you know you're really the only guy in town who's ever nice to me."  
  
Kai said as he put the egg into his vest pocket.  
  
"Well, I was wondering, I know you know cooking from like all over the world,  
  
and I was wondering if maybe you could" Jack said and again he was cut of.  
  
"Well I only really have one recipe that I ever give you, and that's pretty  
  
simply, it's just popcorn. You can probably guess how that works." Kai said.  
  
"Yeah" Jack said.  
  
"Well maybe you should go and ask Lilia, she has been winning the cooking  
  
contest for years" Kai said as Jack walked away from the beach.  
  
He walked down the street again, and this time to the poultry farm. "Hey Jack!"  
  
Rick said as he walked away, "how are your chickens?"  
  
"You should really ask Cliff about that" Jack said, "He's been caring for them  
  
for them since he moved in. Is your mother in?"  
  
"No, today is her day off, she is over at the clinic" Rick said.  
  
"Ok, give my best to your sister" Jack said as he walked off. He walked down the  
  
street and as he passed the Winery Cliff looked over and saw him, but he ran off  
  
before he really noticed much of anything up.  
  
He walked into the clinic and saw Elli and Lilia talking.  
  
"Oh, hi Jack I'm sorry the store is closed today." She said.  
  
"I'm really here because I need to ask you how to cook." Jack said.  
  
"I understand, do not say another word, you will fallow me to my kitchen" They  
  
walk together in silence.  
  
He sat at the table in her kitchen, as she walked down the stairs and into the  
  
room. She had changed from her nice soft dress to a tight blue teacher suit. In  
  
her hand was leather riding crop. "Jack, now you will listen to me, and me  
  
alone, you will not speak until spoken to" Jack rolled his eyes and she smacked  
  
him with the riding crop.  
  
"Owwww!" He yelled, and she smacked him again. This time he remained silent.  
  
"Good your learning." She said.  
  
For nearly three hours she taught and beat him, and after two trips to the  
  
clinic he felt he was ready.  
  
"You have finally graduated my pupil" She said as she looked down at him, he  
  
bowed and sprinted out of the door and into his house. He cowered for a half an  
  
hour in the corner before he began to prepare the dinner.  
  
Cliff came home about two hours later. Jack blocked the door when he got over.  
  
"What's up," Cliff asked.  
  
"Well, this morning, you did something really great for me, so I spent the day  
  
doing something for you," Jack said he stepped away from the door and let him  
  
in. He walked in and saw the feast on the table, so much food, all lovingly  
  
prepared by Jack.  
  
A few months later   
  
Jack woke up the same as he did every day; Cliff was asleep in the other bed,  
  
only a few feet away from him. Instead of get up as he always did, he looked at  
  
Cliff and smiled. His mind was racing with a million confusing thoughts. He  
  
brushed them off and snuck himself out of bed. He walked out of the house and  
  
began to water; he had recently begun to ignore the idea of his and Cliff's part  
  
to water. Instead it became whoever was up first, did all the chores as fast as  
  
he could. When the other awoke they ran out and did whatever was left. It had  
  
become a competition, yet nobody cared who won.  
  
This morning it looked like Jack might be done, by the time Cliff woke up. Jack  
  
was finishing watering when a woman walked up to him. "Um Hello," She asked.  
  
"Oh, hello, I'm Jack, can I help you with something," Jack said as she walked up  
  
to him. As he said that Cliff walked out of the house and looked at the woman.  
  
"Mom?" he said.  
  
A short time later they all sat at the table, Jack had made tea, with the leaves  
  
he had been saving since spring so long ago. They sat at the table, no one spoke  
  
a word. They sipped the tea quietly.  
  
Cliff's mother was the first one to break the silence. "So Cliff do you have a  
  
girl friend here in town?" she asked and for the first time Jack could see the  
  
pain this impromptu visit was causing him.  
  
"No mom, I don't have anyone like that." He said.  
  
"But you've been here for nearly two years, or so that nice man at the Inn said"  
  
She said. "What was his name, Dave?"  
  
"Doug mom, his name is Doug," Cliff corrected her, Jack felt that maybe this was  
  
something they had done a lot.  
  
"He said that you used to live at the inn, with him and his daughter. She was a  
  
cute little girl." She said still sipping her tea, Jack and Cliff had long since  
  
abandoned there cups.  
  
"Mom please, don't" he said.  
  
"Cliff, it's time to end this, it's time for you to stop playing grown up, your  
  
still just a little kid, you need to come home with me." She said.  
  
Cliff was at a loss for words, he didn't know what to say, she had struck a  
  
nerve. He had left home, when he was a teenager. The constant fighting with his  
  
mother, his young sister had been so young, and she was always great with her  
  
mother, it almost seemed like she blamed him for something. Cliff was never  
  
sure, did she blame him for the death of his father on that cold winters night,  
  
or did she blame him for the fact that she could never afford to live anywhere  
  
but that small house at the base of the mountain.  
  
"You need to come home, Cliff think about Claire, she still needs her brother,  
  
she needs you" She was tugging at heartstrings here, Jack could see it.  
  
"Fine" Cliff said to Jacks surprise.  
  
"Good Cliff, I am staying at that inn, meet me there tomorrow, and we will go."  
  
She said and she walked out of the house.  
  
"Cliff…" Jack said, not knowing what to say.  
  
"Jack I think I have to go, she's right, I don't really have anything holding me  
  
here. I need to grow up" He said and he just looked at Jack.  
  
"Cliff…" Jack said again, and then he stood up and walked out. He had Chores to  
  
do, and he had to get used to doing them all alone again.  
  
He fed all the animals, but couldn't bring himself to do anything else, they  
  
would live without being brushed, and he suddenly felt like an idiot talking to  
  
Bessie or any of the other cows.  
  
When he had finished the feeding he ran up the hill, and into the clearing just  
  
past the lake. He didn't want to see Cliff. He didn't know what to say. What  
  
could he say? He didn't have a right to say anything. He cared about Cliff, but  
  
what right did he have to say anything against his mother, who Cliff had never  
  
talked about, and who he had known for not but a few hours.  
  
When he reached the clearing he just fell down, his thoughts racing. He just  
  
laid there for hours. Maybe he could just stay there until Cliff left, he  
  
couldn't bring himself to say goodbye.  
  
"Well isn't this familiar" Ann said as she walked over and sat down.  
  
"Huh?" Jack said.  
  
"It must have been ten, fifteen years ago, did you forget?" Ann asked as she  
  
picked a blade of grass and chewed on the sweet bottom.  
  
"Vaguely, remind me" Jack said.  
  
"Well I think it went something like this. You where laying there, and I walked  
  
up and said something like oh your alive, you where sitting so still I thought  
  
you where dead" She said as she continued to chew the small green blade.  
  
"Oh now I remember, that was when I was staying with the old man, you know I  
  
don't think you ever even told me your name." He said.  
  
"Well I never forgot you, you were my first real friend, my family had just  
  
moved here from the city, and all the other girls in town kinda scared me. I  
  
hated it here." She continued. "But you were from the city too, and you loved  
  
this place, do I guess you kind of changed me, you know?"  
  
"Yeah I do." He said.  
  
"Well the look on your face says your kinda sad, wanna talk about it?" She  
  
asked, and he did, he really wanted to tell her everything but he knew there was  
  
no point. "It's about Cliff isn't it" She asked and for a moment Jack thought  
  
she must be Psychic. "It's just, well his moms staying at the Inn, and I got the  
  
feeling she didn't want him to stay here in Mineral Town."  
  
"Well you felt right, she told him to leave with her, and he is" Jack said as he  
  
sighed.  
  
"Well you can't let him." Ann said as she jumped to her feet, and rose her fist  
  
into the air.  
  
"This is just like a romance novel, you love him you have to go and fight his  
  
mother for him. Save him from his overprotective mother and himself." She  
  
yelled.  
  
Jack jumped to his feet as well. "whowowo Love him? I don't love him, he's just  
  
my friend." Jack thought to himself, 'love him, of course I love him, he's my  
  
best friend but I don't LOVE him… do I'  
  
"Wait you mean… your not… but you seem so…" Ann looked at him as if surveying a  
  
dog who had just talked. "But I was so sure you… and he… and you…" She looked  
  
more confused than Jack had after trying to understand Manna's gossip at the  
  
square.  
  
'Jack you Idiot!' He thought to himself. 'You do love him, after all this time  
  
you just thought he was a friend, but you love him, you love Cliff' "I love him.  
  
I love Him. I LOVE HIM" Jack shouted it to the heavens.  
  
"I knew it, now go tell him stop him, don't let him leave." Ann said getting far  
  
to into this.  
  
Jack ran down the mountain and ran onto farm. He saw a figure lingering by the  
  
shipping box. "I love you" he yelled at it. He got closer, and to his dismay he  
  
saw Zack.  
  
"Ummm… well thanks Jack, I am very fond of you, but I think maybe we should just  
  
stay friends." Zack said as he took the shipping stuff and left. Jacks face  
  
turned bright red; his face was a great big strawberry.  
  
He ran into the house only to find a note.  
  
"Jack I have decided to leave now, I know you don't want to say goodbye, I am  
  
going to meet my mother at the Inn. From there we will be leaving for the docks,  
  
and hopping a ferry to Flower bud. We will be leaving at Six, I do want to see  
  
you one last time, but I understand if you don't want to." Jack looked at his  
  
clock, one of the first things he had bought to upgrade his small shack, if was  
  
five-ten, he had to run, or he would never reach the beach in time.  
  
He sprinted as fast as he could, and as he ran the people of the village began  
  
to fallow him. First it was Ann and Gotz, then Popuri, Rick, And Lilia, then  
  
Doug, Manna, Duke, Carter, by the time he reached the beach all of Mineral town  
  
was fallowing. It was Five-fifty when he reached the beach, with promises of it  
  
becoming six any second.  
  
"Cliff wait!" Jack yelled as he saw Cliff and his mother about to board the  
  
small ship.  
  
"Jack! Thank God, I didn't think I would ever see you again. Cliff replied.  
  
"I'm sorry I ran off but I have to say something." Jack said.  
  
"Could you hurry up" Cliff's mother said a little miffed.  
  
"Cliff you can't leave." Jack said.  
  
"Oh come on Cliff I think we have heard enough" She said as she began to tug on  
  
his arm.  
  
"No, you can't leave me." Jack said as he began to cry.  
  
"Jack…" Cliff said.  
  
"Cliff I…" Jack tried to speak but the words got caught in his throat.  
  
"Say it" Ann whispered  
  
"Cliff I love you" Jack said in a near whisper that no one could hear  
  
"What" Cliff asked not knowing what he had said.  
  
"Cliff I love you" Jack said, "I love you." This time Cliff heard, and he looked  
  
back at Jack a smile on his face.  
  
"Jack…." He said, he ran off the dock and over to Jack, they hugged for what  
  
seamed like hours, but since this was an event no time went by. "Jack I love you  
  
too"  
  
The entire town said a communal "awe" and smiled.  
  
"Cliff…" his mother said as se walked off the dock, "I had no idea, your not a  
  
kid after all are you, maybe you never were as childish as I thought, I know I  
  
haven't been a great mother, but I only wanted what was best for you, I didn't  
  
know you had it. I wish you the best" She said, as she turned around and walked  
  
toward the boat.  
  
"Miss, why don't you stay with us for a few days before you go," Jack said. "I  
  
think Cliff would like that." Jack said.  
  
"Please mom, I do want you to stay for a little while, I want you to know that  
  
I'm okay." He said.  
  
"Oh Cliff I can see that your ok, I think it was me that never was, but I would  
  
love to stay, but not now, I have to go home, Claire will worry." She said.  
  
"Then come back soon, bring Claire, with you, I don't want you to phase out of  
  
Cliff's life again." Jack said. Cliff looked at this man, who he loved, and saw  
  
nothing but concern for him. Cliff wondered how he could not have known he had  
  
loved him. And he did.  
  
Some time later   
  
Jack and Cliff walked up the mountain toward the clearing, when they got there  
  
they saw a big red and white striped blanket, there Ann, Doug, Cliffs mother,  
  
and his sister sat enjoying a picnic lunch.  
  
"You two are late." Ann said.  
  
"Yeah, and you know what happens to people when there late to my picnics." Doug  
  
said. Jack and Cliff looked at each other.  
  
"They miss all the food" Ann said as she laughed.  
  
"No!" Jack and Cliff yelled together.  
  
"But since we know it is a special occasion we let you slide" Doug said as he  
  
opened the basket and handed them some food.  
  
"So" Doug said.  
  
"Happy anniversary!" They all yelled at once.  
  
"Happy anniversary," Jack said  
  
"Happy anniversary," Cliff replied. 


End file.
